1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to a shooting rest adaptable to a projectile device. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a shooting rest capable of being used in a manner where a weapon is held in hand and a shoulder stock, a buttstock, or simply a butt of the weapon is held against one's shoulder when firing the weapon.
2. Background Art
Numerous types of shooting rests have been attempted. A basic setup can include a pair of crossed tree branches for supporting a firearm, e.g. rifle or shotgun. Other attempts include the use of monopods, bipods, tripods, benches and “sleds,” e.g., Caldwell® shooting sleds, Hyskore® rifle rests and may be referenced by these and other informal names. A shooting rest serves as relatively stable platforms upon which weapons can be supported with or without additional support aid rendered with another device or personnel, each having one or more drawbacks. Existing shooting sleds in the market, for instance, include cradles designed to support the stock of a weapon at its butt where the cradle is typically secured to a structure having sufficient weight such that during recoil, the cradle is capable of retaining the weapon while capable of reducing the impact a recoil generated on objects placed in line with the movement of the recoil or the shooter.
Among other problems, due to the means by which the recoil of the weapon is dampened, i.e., tied to the weight of a structure, the stock can impact the cradle at significant speed during recoil, causing significant damages (cracking) to the stock. Although the cradle may be lined with a soft material, any backbone or structural materials embedded in the cradle that are designed to provide sufficient stiffness to the cradle, can still be indirectly impacted during recoil. Most importantly, recoil of a weapon is stunted or arrested when the weapon is disposed on a conventional shooting rest. The weight of the sled prevents the natural tendency of the weapon to retract or recoil violently at high speed to counteract the forces associated with a departing bullet or shot of the weapon, causing the barrel of the weapon to oscillate just enough to direct the bullet or shots in an unintended direction, causing inaccuracies. In short, the unnatural recoil of the sled results in projectile flights that are different from those experienced by a natural shoulder hold. Further, most sleds are large in size or bulky, complicated in construction as they are assembled from many parts and heavy or cumbersome to transport. Another disadvantage of using an existing sled, e.g., Caldwell® shooting sled, lies in its inability to allow a shooter to hold the weapon against his shoulder as in the case of shooter-held shooting. Even when a shooting rest, many shooters prefer a realistic shooting posture as if a firearm is held in hands with the butt of the stock contacting the shooter's shoulder. By having a shooter absorb recoils, the requirement for a rest that is heavy enough to withstand recoils is lessened. Yet another disadvantage of using a sled, e.g., Caldwell®, lies in its inability to allow a weapon to be returned to a position identical to the position prior to a shot being taken. Therefore, with an existing sled, the shooting position is not repeatable, making it impossible for the shooter to create rapid successions of shots with high or even merely satisfactory accuracy.
Yet another disadvantage of using a sled, e.g., Caldwell®, lies in its inability to allow an aiming eye to be properly positioned in alignment with the longitudinal axis of a scope, without which, an accurate aim is nearly impossible. In conjunction with this inherent flaw is the problem created by the shooter's eye not being able to approach the precise distance from the ocular end of a scope that, in turn, establishes the focus clarity of the scope. This focal point is a very exact distance for which there is little or no error tolerance.
Thus, there is a need for a shooting rest which addresses all the shortcomings of the existing sleds.